The Final Crusade (1)
Arctic, the Ivory Tower.
The tower rose vast, and the little village on the 387th floor held roughly eighty people.
Inside a small hut, a woman roused from a deep sleep and slowly opened her eyes.
An Ivory Tower resident—Bipa.
In High Gear she had been a tutorial administrator, the one with the gear-and-cog emblem.
"I'm not going to the meeting."
She had no intention of attending.
Still, she'd logged out because Yahweh's movements had unsettled her.
When she stepped outside, the other residents stared at her in surprise.
"Bipa? What are you doing out?"
She'd hoarded food and water and hadn't gone outside for months.
"How are things?"
The villagers blinked, but this was a matter they couldn't hide.
"See for yourself."
They led her to the outer wall. The holographic veil dropped and a mechanical iron barrier revealed itself.
At the Ivory Tower's 387th floor—even the Arctic blizzards lay far beneath them.
She peered through the window.
At the horizon, flames burned that seemed to vaporize cold—fire swallowing the Corona Kingdom.
"Demons."
Click. Click.
Her pupils narrowed like an aperture as she zoomed in on the Corona Kingdom.
The Tower's stars showed, and among them a demon swordsman was cutting down countless soldiers.
Commander of Hell's army, First Legion Commander Baal.
'They've finally come.'
That the only legion commander who hadn't opened the Demon Realm was aiming for the Arctic carried weight.
'Deadly Cross. That's probably the name.'
They meant to bring down the Ivory Tower.
Kashan. Aganos.
When Uorin—who had logged out of High Gear—left her bedroom, Gando bowed his head.
"You're back?"
She'd spent so much time on High Gear she'd neglected state affairs; his relief was mingled with curiosity.
"Anything you want me to do—?"
"No."
Uorin smiled and passed him.
"It's over. I got everything I could from High Gear. How long until the Crusade?"
"Three days."
Gando fell into step behind her and asked.
"If there's anything left to get—" Uorin glanced back as if nothing at all had happened, her face cool.
'I haven't felt this in a long time.'
Gando swallowed. Uorin's thoughts went deeper.
'Minus Universe.'
Not everything, but Fermi had delivered the broad-strokes information as agreed.
'This could be the worst Crusade ever. No—this might be our end…'
Uorin stopped walking.
"Gando, I'm going to take part in the Crusade." When she said she intended to reclaim the emperor's throne she had once handed to her son, Gando replied at once.
"Understood."
"Don't be too upset. After the Great Purge, all the survivors—powers, kingdoms, monsters—will gather. I don't think you can handle that alone."
Gando trembled with gratitude simply that she considered his feelings.
"It will be Her Majesty's empire."
A faint smile flickered across Uorin's lips before her expression went cold.
'I'll never hand it over,' she thought.
"Summon Kido."
Southern Continent, Kesia.
Most of the population was intoxicated on the Angel; there weren't many shops left that still did business.
The meetup Shirone had chosen was at a franchise café run by Geumhwarun.
"Welcome."
When he pushed the door open, a dull-eyed server greeted Shirone.
Nobles sat at tables; they, too, looked drugged.
'The problem is—'
The group tucked in a corner didn't look any different from the others.
'This is something to see.'
Five operators of High Gear had gathered for this meeting, and none of them would meet anyone's eye.
It was the predictable sight for people with zero social skills, but the extent was extreme.
"Oh? Could it be—?"
A small child—the only one smiling—waved when he saw Shirone.
"Yahweh hyung?"
"Lollipop?"
They knew some details about the operators, but none of them went by their real names.
"Wow, it's exactly like High Gear. Come on in. The vibe here is totally wrecked."
Even with Shirone's arrival, the operators paid him no attention and kept to their own oddities.
'Lollipop's here, then.'
A burly, hunched, bearded man was likely Smile Mark.
A thin woman who'd just let her hair grow was Black Circle Mark.
'And the other two… the ones who caused trouble in High Gear: Operator and Number Seven.'
'Number Seven—he might be my age?'
Despite his solid build, he jittered his leg anxiously, betraying his temperament.
The Operator sat in the place of honor, large glasses, repeatedly brushing his bangs out of his eyes.
"Ah. Really."
'He's bothered by acne, huh?'
Shirone guessed why the Operator kept his face shaded by his bangs.
"All right, then."
Shirone took the chair opposite, ordered tea, and began.
"First, nice to meet you. I'm Shirone." No one answered. Smile Mark opened his mouth, then turned away.
'Terribly unsocial. Not a single opinion. How are we supposed to work together like this?'
They had to.
These were the developers who'd made High Gear an unprecedented hit under Undercoder.
'They're the world's best coders.'
Lollipop Mark started.
"Let's do introductions. We always do this at meetups. I'm Lollipop. At High Gear I handle impact and shock processors."
It was a role that required quick reflexes.
"Heh, should I go next? Uh… I'm Smile Mark. I'm in charge of—"
He rambled, and then Black Circle spoke.
"I'm Black Circle. I handle meta processors."
They'd made it this far, but Number Seven seemed almost speechless, like he'd lost the power of speech.
"Hey, your turn."
"Ah. Ah."
His ears flushed and his eyes glazed, as if somewhere else.
Shirone pulled him back.
"Relax. Just introduce yourself."
"Huh? Uh… so—"
He snapped back, but this time he only glanced at the Operator in the seat of honor.
She flicked her bangs and snapped at him.
"What've you been staring at? Disappointed? Ugly or something?"
"W-who said that! He's only pretty!" Startled by his own words, Number Seven bowed his head, while the Operator sipped through his straw.
Silence followed.
"…Okay, introductions are over."
Shirone shifted tack.
"I suggested this meetup to the Operator. As some of you may know, the Operator will be helping me in the real world on a project."
At last the operators showed interest.
"What project?"
Shirone explained the strategy to mine the Apocalypse in the Di Abyss domain.
Black Circle muttered, "Hmm—some kind of cytoplasmic hardening program. To inject it into the main system we'll need terminal patterns, right?"
Number Seven said, "Use AI. Deploy creatures with large excavation functions and map them into a 3D model…"
"How long it'll take to break the firewall is also an issue. If we seed invasion code into the program—"
Those who'd been silent until now burst out with ideas as if competing.
Shirone smiled wryly.
'Their bodies are here in the real world…but their minds are still in Undercoder, in the virtual realm.'
The Operator, who'd been resting his chin on his hand, raised one finger.
"So anyway…I've decided to help Shirone. What about you guys?"
The operators exchanged glances. Number Seven slowly raised his hand.
"Tch! I'm in no matter what, right?"
The Operator said, "No. Attendance here was a condition—you don't have to if you don't want to." When the flushed young man moved to lower his hand, she snapped, "Kidding. Do you think I'll let you keep what you've already taken and walk away? We'll be welding thousands of tons."
Number Seven choked up, but he was happier that the Operator had been joking.
"Ha! If I'm not here, no one will get it done. They can't mine the Apocalypse without me!"
"That's true." His mouth shut again, but the mood had warmed.
Shirone stood.
"All right, then. Let's get to work."
Middle East, the Paras Kingdom.
The Paras Kingdom had been hit hard by the world war the Gustav Empire provoked.
The biggest shock was the death of King Kasartak, who had ruled Paras for forty years.
But an ancient-civilization power of the Middle East did not kneel easily.
"It's almost time to depart."
A plaintive song echoed through the antique grand hall of Delraima Castle.
King Kitra.
The youngest son of Kasartak, he wore dark eye makeup and had an androgynous look.
"Your Majesty, preparations are complete. In this Crusade, the Paras Kingdom will become the ruler of the world."
His retainers believed it without question.
Kitra's talents, crowned by his youth on the throne, suited Paras—the nation that prided itself as the origin of intellect.
"Hmm?"
A serpent coiled at Kitra's throat flicked its tongue toward the assembled retainers.
"Bring Julu."
The retainers looked up in unison.
"But, Your Majesty, the ancient civilization of Paras has never allowed outsiders to approach—" A sharp sound cut him off.
Prrrriiii!
The snake's trembling tongue made the retainers go pale.
"Shh."
Kitra made a soft sound. The snake tilted its head and offered its tongue to him.
A wet, slurping noise—almost like a kiss as it licked the venom he offered—then he spoke again.
"Bring Julu."
A soldier hurried out of the grand hall.
Moments later the doors opened and Julu, Shirone, Kanis, and Arin entered in line.
Julu, sucking a pacifier, made a little sound as he knelt before the king.
"You summoned me, Your Majesty?"
"Julu."
Paras's pride and the great mage Kasartak had loved him until the end.
"This brings back memories. My father liked you very much. I served him then and called you by that name. It's hard to understand—did my father despise you so much?"
Suck. Suck.
Julu's face showed no emotion as he mouthed at the pacifier.
'Beautiful.'
Could relentless abuse from infancy twist someone into something like this?
"So—you wish to explore the Pyramid of Truth?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. My companions and I will uncover the secrets of the outside world there."
Kitra's gaze passed the three standing behind Julu and landed on Shirone.
"O star of the Ivory Tower, forgive the delay. As you know, domestic matters kept me busy."
Most kings put on a brave face at the stars, but Kitra's words were sincere.
'A truly unique aura. This Crusade will be fierce.'
Shirone replied politely.
"Opening a nation's records is a grave decision. Please allow it for the sake of humanity."
"As for humanity…"
Kitra crossed his legs with ease.
"They say the Oasis has dried because of the infernal realm of the Flames of Ruin. If not for you, the damage would've been worse."
"You flatter me."
It had been a buildup just to hear a single word, and Kitra did not stall.
"Granted."
As the retainers murmured, Kanis and Arin tensed.
'It's done.'
The gateway to the ancient civilization opened.